ICE 2024 Short Course

Collage of Center for Chemical Ecology Badge Images

International Chemical Ecology Short Course

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

June 3-14, 2024

In collaboration with Max Planck, Germany; ICIPE, Kenya; and SLU, Sweden

With special focus on: plant-plant, plant-insect and plant-insect-microbe interactions, insects and diseases, pheromones, olfactory receptors, odor processing, evolution, physiological and chemical methods, new and upcoming applications.

Attendees to the 2024 ICE Short Course are responsible for booking their own accommodations. Some lodging and short-term rental options may be found on the following external websites:
Happy Valley Adventure Bureau
AirBnb
Vrbo

Schedule

Sunday, 2nd June

  • Arrival of students

Monday, 3rd June – Welcome & Introductory lectures

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:00 - 9:30: Registration
  • 9:35 - 10:15: Introduction by J. Ali
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by Andre Kessler (Cornell) “From Metabolic Waste to Traits of Plant Behavior: A Subjective History of the Chemical Ecology of Plant-Animal Interactions”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch (HUB 233B)
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Lukasz Stelinski (UFL) “From Pheromones to Pest Control: Bridging the Gap Between Chemical Ecology and Practical Applications in Plant-Herbivore Interactions”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Lecture by Markus Knaden (MPI) “Odor-guided behavior in insects”
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion with Snacks
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Tuesday, 4th June - Participant presentations

Location: AVBS Building 106/Foyer

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Student Presentations (Session I)
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Student Presentations (Session II)
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Poster Session (Session I)
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Poster Session (Session II)
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Get Together - Pub

Wednesday, 5th June – Chemosenory and Insect-microbe interactions

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Markus Knaden (MPI)
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by Teun Dekker (SLU) “Fitting an insect’s nose to its ecological niche”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch (HUB 233B)
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Clare Casteel (Cornell) “Exploring the Chemical and Molecular Ecology of Vector-Transmitted Plant Viruses: Interactions, Advances, and Future Directions”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Lecture by Gary Felton (Penn State) “Gene Editing Reveals Novel Functions of a Salivary Protein”
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 1)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Thursday, 6th June – Applications Aspects, Ecology and VOC's

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Ted Turlings (UniNE) “Exploiting the chemical ecology of tritrophic interactions for crop protection”
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by Cesar Rodriguez-Saona (Rutgers) “Applications of VOCs in Insect Pest Management”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch (HUB 233B)
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Monica Kersch-Becker (PSU) “Exploring the Role of Plant Secondary Compounds in Community Dynamics”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Lecture by Chase Stratton (Del. State) “Herbivore Induced Plant Volatiles and the Dizzying Diversity of Phytochemicals”
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 2)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Friday, 7th June – Chemistry for Ecologists

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:00: Lecture by Chris Jeffery (Univ. Nevada) “Chemistry for Ecologists”
  • 10:00 - 10:30: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:30 - 11:45: Lecture by Rob Raguso (Cornell) “Chemical communication between plants and their partners - signals, cues and codes”
  • 11:45 - 12:45: Lunch
  • 12:45 - 14:00: Lecture by Joshua Kellog (PSU) “Ph-unctional Phytometabolomics”
  • 14:00 - 14:15: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 14:15 - 15:30: Lecture by Chris Duplais (Cornell) “Unveiling Chemical Diversity in Ecological Systems: Analytical Techniques in Chemical Ecology”
  • 15:30 - 16:30: Huck Core Tour
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 3)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Saturday, 8th June

  • Excursion Day: Lab Trips and Sampling (Facilitators: Jared/Nate/Chris D.)
  • Optional Social Downtown - Pride Parade

Sunday, 9th June

  • Trip to Lake Perez (12:00 - 16:00)- meeting location for people needing transport TBA

Monday, 10th June – Sensing and Processing Ecophysiology

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Ruud Schilder (PSU) “Insights into Organismal Movement, Energetics, and Survival through the Lens of Environmental Detection”
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by Fang Rose Zhu (PSU) “Engines of life: Detoxification pathways in pesticide resistance and insect-plant interaction”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch (HUB 233B)
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Georg Petschenka (Universität Hohenheim) “Plant toxins as drivers of insect-plant coevolution”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Lecture by Tom Baker (PSU) “Early Days of Insect Chemical Ecology Research: World-Wide Mission to Replace Toxic Insecticides with Behavior-modifying Chemicals
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 4)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Tuesday, 11th June – Multi-trophic interactions

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Sara Hermann (PSU) “Unraveling the Role of Predation Risk and Chemical Cues in Arthropod Ecology”
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by John Tooker (Penn State) “The joy of studying chemical ecology of trophic interactions”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Jared Ali (Penn State) “Behaviour and chemical ecology of above-below ground multi-trophic interactions”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Lecture by Katja Poveda (Cornell) “Navigating Agroecosystems: Unraveling Plant-Insect Interactions for Sustainable Agriculture”
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 5)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Wednesday, 12th June – Insect Chemical Evolution / Insect &Humans sensory science

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Marcus Stensmyr (LU) “Olfactory neuroecology”
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by Tanya Renner (PSU) “The evolution of chemical defense in the ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch (HUB 233B)
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Helene Hopfer (PSU) “What instruments can’t tell us – Improving the Human Experience through Sensory & Consumer Science”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Helene Hopfer + Nate McCartney "Collecting Smells"
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 6)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Thursday, 13th June – Applied aspects & Neuroethology

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Baldwin Torto (ICIPE) “Chemical Communication in Arthropods: Insights for Sustainable Pest Management and Public Health”
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Lecture by Mike Wolfin (PSU) “Unraveling Insect Behavior: Insights for Sustainable Pest Management on Farms”
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Lecture by Diego Giraldo (John Hopkins) “Decoding Mosquito Attraction: Unraveling the Neural and Chemical Basis of Vector Olfaction”
  • 14:45 - 15:00: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 15:00 - 16:30: Sample Prep
  • 16:30 - 17:45: Plenary Q&A and Literature Discussion (Group 7)
  • Facilitators: Teachers and Students

Friday, 14th June – Vector Chemical ecology and closing

Location: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Room 001

  • 8:45 - 10:15: Lecture by Rikard Ingell (SLU) “Host selection and discrimination by disease vector mosquitoes”
  • 10:15 - 10:45: Tea / Coffee Break
  • 10:45 - 12:15: Sample Prep if necessary
  • 12:15 - 13:15: Lunch (HUB 233B)
  • 13:15 - 14:45: Discussion and Wrap Up Course Evaluation
  • Evening: Party!! (TBD)
Group Photo from the 2023 International Chemical Ecology Short Course
Participants in the 2023 ICE Short Course

Lecturers/Facilitators Include:

  • Bill Hansson, Max Plank Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPI CE)
  • Ted Turlings, uniNE
  • Teun Dekker, SLU
  • Robert Raguso, Cornell University (CU)
  • Baldwyn Torto, icipe
  • Christer Löfstedt, Lund University (LU)
  • John Tooker, Penn State (PSU)
  • Markus Knaden, MPI CE
  • Jared Gregory Ali, PSU
  • Markus Stensmyr, LU
  • Gary Felton, PSU
  • Ruud Schilder, PSU
  • Clare Casteel, Cornell
  • Katja Poveda, Cornell
  • Helene Hopfer, PSU
  • John Hayes, PSU

General course outline

This immersive two-week General Chemical Ecology course is designed to convene experts, leaders, and innovators in the field of chemical ecology for an in-depth exploration and sharing of cutting-edge knowledge. Here's what participants can expect:

Duration & Structure

Spanning over two weeks, the course runs from Monday to Friday each week. Each day features up to four esteemed speakers who bring their leadership, expertise, and the latest advancements in chemical ecology to the forefront.

Interactive Sessions & Activities

Beyond lectures, the course is punctuated with interactive discussion groups every day, where materials provided by the day's speakers and the teacher-leader are explored further with the help of discussion facilitators. An enriching experiment is scheduled for one of the Saturdays, while a separate weekend day offers an excursion to explore the stunning natural areas around State College, enhancing the learning experience with real-world context. We are particularly excited to announce this year's special focus: a "Chemistry for Ecologists" day led by esteemed chemists Chris Duplais (Cornell), Chris Jefferies (University of Nevada-Reno), and Joshua Kellogg (Penn State).

Networking & Presentation Day

A full day is dedicated to participants, who will have the opportunity to present their own work, background, and experiences. This session aims at fostering introductions and networking through rapid talks or poster presentations, providing a platform for attendees to share insights and forge connections.

Meals & Refreshments

To keep minds fueled, the course includes coffee, tea, and refreshment breaks throughout each day. Lunches are provided on three out of the five weekdays (allowing 2 days for folks to be independent or meet with others separately), culminating in a hosted final dinner on the last day, celebrating the completion of the course and the connections made.

Interactive Learning Environment

Each lecturing day concludes with an interactive discussion group. These sessions are organized around the material presented by the day’s speakers and are supported by discussion facilitators, ensuring a deep dive into the day’s content and fostering a collaborative learning atmosphere.

Join us for this enriching journey into the world of chemical ecology, where theory meets practice, and connections pave the way for future collaboration and discovery.

For further Information, or to reserve a spot, please contact Lizz Wagner

For industry partnership opportunities, please see our Corporate Engagement page